Ultraman comic falls to Home Ministry ban

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The Home Ministry has done what countless monsters and space aliens could not: Vanquish Ultraman.

According to a report by national news agency Bernama today, the ministry issued a ban on the publication of the Bahasa Malaysia edition of the comic book, “Ultraman the Ultra Power”, for allegedly containing elements detrimental to public order.

“It is an offence under Section 8 (2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for any person to print, import, produce, reproduce, publish, sell, distribute, offer to sell or have in his possession for any such purpose the banned publication,” the ministry said in a statement.

The statement was not yet available on the ministry’s website this evening, but an official verified the ban when contacted by The Malay Mail Online today.

"Yes, KDN has banned the book ‘Ultraman the Ultra Power’," the official said in a brief text message. KDN is the Malay acronym for the Home Ministry.

The ministry added that the gazette banning the comic that is published by Resign Publications and printed by Network Printers took effect on February 18.

It is unclear what aspect of the comic had led to the ban.

Ultraman is a fictional Japanese superhero who fights “Kaiju” (monsters), and first appeared on television in the 1960s.

It later gained popularity worldwide, including in Malaysia, leading to localised versions of the TV series and comic books.

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